BETHLEHEM — Saucon Valley's Evan Culver admitted he was thrilled just to be in attendance of the third-annual Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year ceremony on Thursday at SteelStacks.

But Culver beat out 30 other area athletes to win the award, which also granted the Panther senior a $10,000 scholarship.

"This is huge," an elated Culver said. "There are so many wonderful athletes here and any one of them could have won this award. I was just happy to be here and be a part of this event, but to win it is such an honor."

The recipient of the award is based on a three-way vote between The Morning Call sports department, the Coordinated Health leadership team, and an online voting tool.

To top off an already outstanding evening, Culver, who has committed to play football at Kutztown University, was in for one more surprise.

His father, Chris, surprised his son on stage after flying across the country just in time for the event.

PHOTO GALLERY: Coordinated Health/Morning Call Athlete of the Year banquet held on Wednesday night at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pa.

(APRIL BARTHOLOMEW / THE MORNING CALL )

The two shared a warm embrace following the presentation of the award.

"This is so wonderful because I don't get to see him much," Evan Culver said. "For him to come in for a time like this is so great. Having him here made it that much better."

Prior to the awards ceremony, the crowd was treated to a special guest speaker — U.S. Olympic champion swimmer Amanda Beard.

Beard, who has won seven Olympic medals including two golds, spoke of how to overcome obstacles in athletics.

"At age 14, I won three medals in the Atlanta Games," Beard told the crowd. "Then the next year I hit a growth spurt. I was getting used to my new body and constantly lost because of it. I wasn't having fun anymore and decided to quit. After about a month, I realized I wanted to be in the pool with my friends from swimming. I also wanted to qualify for the 2000 Olympics for bragging rights."

Beard did in fact qualify for the Sydney Olympic Games, where she added to her medal collection with a bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Beard also touched on the ups and downs of her career, but most importantly, talked about an athlete's approach to their sport.

"The best advice I ever received was from my coach. He said 'Get out of the pool, leave it in the pool.' I learned not to ever talk myself out of being my best, and that's the approach every athlete should have at all times."

Also speaking at the event was Coordinated Health's Dr. Emil DiIorio. The event's master of ceremonies, Keith Groller of The Morning Call, described DiIorio as "the Babe Ruth of orthopedic surgery."

Culver already was named The Morning Call's All-Area football player of the year in December for his efforts on the gridiron.

While Culver dominated at Saucon Valley — his 292 points last fall set a school season record — he also set records beyond the Hellertown school. He amassed 2,934 yards on the ground and 48 touchdowns this season and both were tops in all of District 11.

Not only did Culver turn in efforts not seen before, but he helped the Panthers rewrite their history books as well. The team's 14-1 record, appearance in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals and 646 points scored were all firsts for Saucon Valley.

Culver also led the Panthers to their first state playoff win, a 42-20 victory over Scranton Prep, rushing for 331 yards and two touchdowns.

In addition to football, Culver ran track and is coming off an appearance at the District 11 Class 3A championships earlier this month where he qualified for the 100 meter dash and placed third in the long jump.

The inaugural Athlete of the Year winner in 2014, Zach Bradley, who is now employed by Coordinated Health, presented the company's People's Choice Award to Stroudsburg's state champion wrestler Jake Jakobsen.